All posts by Isabella O'Brien

Review: In The Abyss (Citadel + Compagnie)

Picture of dancers, including Ana Claudette Groppler and Syreeta Hector, in In The AbyssCitadel + Compagnie present a stunning dance piece exploring human connection

Citadel + Compagnie presented the world premier of In The Abyss and it’s a breathtaking, celestial work. The performance, choreographed by Aria Evans, seeks to explore the need for human connectivity. Inspired by the idea that we are all made of stardust, this show feels like it was created by humanity, for humanity.

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Review: The Jungle (Tarragon)

Picture of Shannon Currie and Matthew Gin in The Jungle ‘The Jungle’ is “heartfelt, heavy, moving and funny”.

The Jungle premiered last night at Tarragon Theatre and it was a punch to the gut: very real and very much told with eyes wide open. Billed as a Toronto love story between an immigrant from Moldova and the son of Chinese immigrants, it wrestled with what it really means to be working class, and if getting ahead is systemically possible in a capitalist society.

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Review: Good Morning, Tonight (Karis Anderson & Aidan O’Loughlin)

New comedy festival brings the laughs with a diverse lineup in Toronto

Good Morning, Tonight!This October, The Theatre Centre launched a new festival, COMEDY IS ART, in support of comedy in Canada. Comedy is not currently recognized as its own art form in Canada, which has limited the amount of government funding available for comedians. In its inaugural year, the festival ran from October 1 to 5, and featured 8 shows with over 40 artists. I was fortunate enough to spend an evening watching Good Morning, Tonight!, a stand-up comedy show produced and hosted by spirited comedians Karis Anderson and Aidan O’Loughlin.

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Review: The Book of Life (Volcano Theatre, The Woman Cultural Centre, Rwanda and Why Not Theatre)

Odile Gakire Katese in The Book of LifeThe Book of Life is “captivating and powerful” storytelling, now on stage in Toronto

Rwandan playwright and performer Odile Gakire (Kiki) Katese and Canadian director Ross Manson have created a healing work of theatre with The Book of Life, presented by Canadian Stage at the Marilyn and Charles Baillie Theatre. Written and performed by Katese, the show gives human face to the mass lives lost in the devastating 1994 Rwandan genocide.

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